If you suffer from urinary incontinence, you may be wondering what treatments are available to you. Urinary incontinence treatments range from self help remedies to medication to surgery. Generally, treatment of urinary incontinence starts with self-help remedies.
As far as urinary incontinence treatments go, self-help remedies are the least invasive and have no troublesome side effects. In some cases, self help remedies are all that is needed to improve or cure incontinence, which is why most doctors prefer their patients start will these simple measures to treat incontinence:
Limit Fluid Intake - Decreasing the amount of fluids taken in close to bedtime may decrease nighttime incontinence. Individuals who drink a lot of fluids may find that incontinence symptoms improve if they cut down on the amount of fluids they drink during the day as well.
However, you do not want to decrease your fluid intake to the point of dehydration, as this may lead to bladder infections and other problems.
Avoid alcohol and Caffeine - Caffeine can irritate the bladder, and both caffeine and alcohol can act as mild diuretics, increasing the frequency of voiding. They may also contribute to a sense of urgency to void. Simply cutting these two substances out of your life may drastically improve incontinence.
Avoid Acidic Foods - Citric foods and juices, as well as tomatoes and other acidic foods may irritate the bladder, increasing the likelihood of incontinence. Avoiding acidic foods and juices may decrease episodes of incontinence.
Lose Weight - Excess weight puts added pressure on the bladder, which may exacerbate stress incontinence. Losing weight may markedly improve symptoms of incontinence.
Quit Smoking - Smoking can lead to a chronic cough, and coughing is often a factor in stress incontinence. Quitting smoking may reduce coughing spells, which may in turn decrease stress incontinence.
Kegel Exercises - Kegels are exercises designed to improve pelvic muscle tone. Strengthening pelvic floor muscles may improve incontinence. Kegels are often prescribed as first-line treatment to those suffering from urinary incontinence.
Self-help remedies are not invasive, cost nothing and are often effective in improving or curing urinary incontinence. Other urinary incontinence management involve medications, which may have intolerable side effects. Surgery comes with its own set of risks and is often a last resort in urinary incontinence treatments.
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